An unsettling, bleak moment of relief before a tragic end. Americanoir.
With echoey, distorted chords opening this album, ‘New Roses’ starts with an enormous feeling of foreboding. ‘I must be lonely’ is a slow, brooding song that sets the tone. The electronic accompaniment has an eerie feel to it, suggesting dark undertones, making the listener wonder what is in store and where the journey will take them. A conventional start, it is not. One word that comes to mind: Bleak.
Raised in Brooklyn, de la Cour lived in London, Cuba, and across the United States before making his home in the American South over a decade and a half ago. His influences include Leonard Cohen, Nina Simone, and Nick Cave.
Cave is especially prevalent both vocally and stylistically on ‘Jukebox Heart’. It gives the impression of meeting someone quite threatening, maybe in a bar, not feeling totally uncomfortable in their company, but very wary. The jarring synthesizers and background trumpet add to the sinister mood. Like the whole album, it makes you feel on edge as if something dreadful is just a moment away. He puts this sensation very colourfully when he says, “It’s like being drawn and quartered, if you’re being pulled apart by horses, there is probably a split second where it feels amazing.” It is hoped that no readers of AUK get to feel this particular sensation.
One track that stands out very differently has an almost heavy metal start to it. After the introduction, it feels as if Ozzy is going to burst in with ‘I am Iron Man’. ‘Lost Highway’ comes complete with bizarre ghost train-type voices, again, ensuring the listener is never at ease and feels claustrophobic throughout.
This is undoubtedly a dark, unsettling album, which is extremely difficult to pigeonhole. The listener is left with some hope for the future but must take on the pain of the every day to truly appreciate that optimism. ‘New Rose’ definitely gets under the skin, and you end up feeling this is only part of his story. He certainly has much more to give. A truly thought-provoking piece of work.
Lucinda Williams sums him up very succinctly: “He has much to say and knows how to say it as only a true poet can. You owe it to yourself to check him out. He is important. You need this bright young talent now more than ever. We all need Ben de la Cour.”
